1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus for cleaning anchor chains and specifically to brushes designed for this purpose.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An unpleasant problem for operators of small and medium size boats, both power and sail, is the necessity of cleaning the anchor chain of bottom mud before it is stored aboard. A secure anchorage is frequently one with a sticky mud bottom and if the anchor has lain there for more than a brief time the chain will be filled with mud when brought to the surface. The mud will soil hands, deck, sails, lines, and other gear. If the chain is not well cleaned some of the mud will find its way into the bilge from the chain locker, where it will sour, causing the boat to smell most offensively. Cleaning the bilge of this residue is both unpleasant and difficult.
One practice has been to attempt to clean the chain and anchor by hauling the chain up and down in the water until the mud is removed. This practice is quite difficult and time consuming and particularly so if the mud is sticky and the anchor is heavy. In another practice, particularly for larger boats, the chain is hosed down as it comes aboard. This practice, of course, requires pressurizing and pumping water for this purpose.
So far as is known, there has not been provided a brush especially suited to cleaning anchor chains and adapted to be mounted on a boat hook when in use. Thus, the provision of such a brush becomes the object of the invention.